With the arrival of an advanced information society, optical communication technologies capable of transferring information at high speed are about to be realized. These optical communication technologies use an optical semiconductor element for converting optical signals transferred through optical fibers into electric signals or, conversely, converting electric signals into optical signals.
In order to reduce the loss of optical signals, it is effective to couple the optical fibers to optical waveguides included in the optical semiconductor element, and also to improve the accuracy of alignment of the optical fibers and the optical waveguides so that the optical signals transferred through the optical fibers may mostly be introduced into the optical semiconductor element.
Further, reducing the size of a mechanism coupling the optical fibers and the optical waveguides may contribute to reduction of the size of an electronic device on which these components are mounted.
Note that technologies related to the present application are disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication Nos. 2006-323317, 2002-131565, 05-264832, 2006-71801, and 59-7910.